Report: Some 1.3 million malicious ads served daily

An estimated 1.3 million malicious advertisements, or malvertisements, are served to websites each day, according to data gathered by web security firm Dasient. Malvertisements are disguised as legitimate ads and delivered via ad  networks to well-known websites. Users can be hit simply by visiting the target website, as 59 percent of malvertisements aim to spread via drive-by download. About 41 percent of malvertisements propagate rogue anti-virus programs, according to Dasient. Additionally, users are twice as likely of getting infected by a malvertisement during the weekend, and the average lifespan of one is 7.3 days. — AM

Sign up to our newsletters

More in News

House Intelligence Committee OKs amended version of controversial CISPA

Despite the 18-to-2 vote in favor of the bill proposal, privacy advocates likely will not be satisfied, considering two key amendments reportedly were shot down.

Judge rules hospital can ask ISP for help in ID'ing alleged hackers

The case stems from two incidents where at least one individual is accused of accessing the hospital's network to spread "defamatory" messages to employees.

Three LulzSec members plead guilty in London

Ryan Ackroyd, 26; Jake Davis, 20; and Mustafa al-Bassam, 18, who was not named until now because of his age, all admitted their involvement in the hacktivist gang's attack spree.